_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
More bank branches are set to close this year as lenders continue withdrawing from the High Street.
Lenders have already announced at least 189 branches will shut in 2024, figures show.
The latest exodus follows the 645 that closed last year. Nearly 6,000 have disappeared since the start of 2015.
And the trend will not change this year as banks continue to cut costs and point to the growing shift by customers towards using online services.
Banks have reduced branch networks for years in an attempt to drive down costs, but the rate has grown with the increased uptake of digital alternatives. This was accelerated by the pandemic.
However, campaigners have warned that elderly and vulnerable users are being left behind. The latest figures were compiled by consumer group Which?. Jenny Ross, the firm’s money editor, said: ‘Sadly we’ve witnessed hundreds of bank branches closing their doors.
‘And with more than 180 branches due to close in 2024, on top of the 5,783 branches that have closed since January 2015, the future of the UK’s high street banking infrastructure is bleak.
‘Consumers are at risk of being left isolated as in-person banking services are axed from their communities – the Government must do more to protect their needs.’
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rose Rambles... 